


Hey Now, You're a (NHL) All-Star

by 42hrb



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Chirping, Chirping is flirting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, NHL AU, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Player Derek "Nursey" Nurse, NHL Player William "Dex" Poindexter, Some real NHL players
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 02:36:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13560897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/42hrb/pseuds/42hrb
Summary: The All-Star Game doesn’t really matter. That’s what most players tell themselves and Will Poindexter was no different. He knew objectively that he was a great player, he was sometimes called the face of American Hockey, which was stressful for a kid who was only 22 and had been called that for years. So, the All-Star game really didn’t matter, it was just a weekend for the league to give most of its players a rest and get some good media coverage.ORThe NHL All-Star Weekend inspired AU that literally no one asked for





	Hey Now, You're a (NHL) All-Star

**Author's Note:**

> So as I watched All-Star weekend I was like... ya know who's great and kind of an asshole and I love him? Jack Eichel, also Will Poindexter. 
> 
> Dex's career is based heavily on Eichel's  
> Nursey's is based on Auston Matthews'
> 
> *shrug* idk but there's puppies

The All-Star Game doesn’t really matter. That’s what most players tell themselves and Will Poindexter was no different. He  _ knew _ objectively that he was a great player, he was sometimes called the face of American Hockey, which was stressful for a kid who was only 22 and had been called that for years. So, the All-Star game really didn’t matter, it was just a weekend for the league to give most of its players a rest and get some good media coverage.

He’d been chosen his rookie season, but only because he was a rookie, it didn’t really count, and last year he’d been out for the first part of the season with a broken foot so there hadn’t even been a chance for him to make it. And  _ it doesn’t matter _ . He reminded himself of that fact at last three times a day in the week leading up to all-star selection.

In theory, he should be the one representing the Sabres, he lead the team in point, but not goals, he was the fastest guy on the team, he was the face of the organization even if he didn’t have the C yet. No one had a C this year with team, when Coach Hall had approached him about it he’d said he wasn’t ready yet. So, a couple of them had A’s and it was working out pretty well, they were in the hunt for the playoffs again, just like they had been in each of his three seasons with them. 

But still, when he got the call that he was going to be the guy representing his team, that he was good enough to be an All-Star, maybe he teared up a little. Wicky had given him some shit about it, but only after he popped a bottle of champagne and dumped it on Dex’s head.

The rest of the guys had called him All-Star for at least a week. It had felt good to finally feel like he was enough. Not that he didn’t feel like he was enough these days, in fact he had finally gotten over the sting of being chosen second.

Dex liked to think that if that draft had been held today he would have been fine with going second to Ransom, or better yet, that he would have been  _ first _ , but when he was 19 and fresh off his Hobey Baker winning season the sting of being picked second had felt like the stab of a knife.

And maybe back then he hadn’t been that great at hiding his feelings. He might have been a little too sassy in some interviews, he  _ might _ have done a bad job at making his face a passive mask during his press with Justin.

All of that had led to a call from the one and only Jack Zimmermann, the player of a generation, the guy who had picked the struggling Falconers off the ice with one hand and won them a Stanley Cup in his rookie season and two more in the eight years since.

There was no more talk of Jack not being good enough since he was drafted second behind Kent Parson and then disappeared for a year, only to resurface at a small college in Massachusetts. The fact that Jack had called him kind of snapped Dex out of his funk. He had been drafted second overall, he was a fucking great hockey player and he was going to pick the struggling Sabres off the ice and take them to the playoffs.

He did his rookie year. They had lost to the Falcs in the first round, but honestly Dex wasn’t that mad about it, he had done the impossible.

“Poindexter,” Lardo, the Sabres’ social media person, yelled at him as he got off the plane, “Christ you’re at All-Star weekend, could you at least smile so our fans thing you’re having a good time.”

“But there was  _ snow _ in Buffalo Lards, how can I enjoy this sunny weather in Tampa when I know I’m missing good snow,” Dex joked, winking at the camera. He had learned how to turn his charm on and in return the fans had quickly made him their favorite. They didn’t care that he had been the second pick, to them he was the best thing that had happened hockey in Buffalo since the French Connection.

“I can send you back if you want,” she pushed her sunglasses up when they got into the car that had been waiting for them, “I’m sure Hall can find some drills for you to do instead of one lap around the ice at top speed and a max two quarters of three on three.”

“You don’t scare me,” Will lied, pulling out his phone to check the schedule. He had a few hours of downtime before the press started and he was planning on spending it outside. He loved the snow and cold, don’t get him wrong, but it had been 6 degrees when they’d left Buffalo and it was 76 in Tampa.

“Sure I don’t,” her smile was all teeth, “I just control your public persona.”

Dex flipped her off when he got out of the car. She was staying at the same hotel, but he probably wouldn’t see her too much outside of the press events and the actual scheduled events. He was pretty sure she was hooking up with Jack Zimmermann’s agent anyways, she’d have plenty to keep her busy.

Someone from the league was at check in and she escorted him to his room before reminding him that presser started at 4 outside the arena. He dumped his bag and gear on the before quickly changing out of his sweats and leaving the room.

He wasn’t the only player who wanted to be outside, “Yo, Dex!”

It took him a second to figure out that the yell had come from a rooftop bar. Ransom waved at him and Dex waved back before he took a breath to prepare himself and went to join him.

“Dexy, you look good,” Ransom’s smile was 1000 watts, he had always been more charming than Dex, “You’ve met Holster before right?”

“Not officially,” Dex extended his hands to Adam Bickholtz of the Lightning, “Nice to finally meet the guy who everyone in Buffalo loves almost as much as me.”

Holster was from Buffalo and the entire city had been let down when he had been drafted by the Lightning the year before Dex and Ransom had entered the league, “Hotzy and I played together at the Q for a few years.”

Dex nodded, he knew that already. He knew pretty much everything there was to know about Ransom pre-NHL. It had been all the media talked about before Dex had learned to not watch Sports Center when they were talking about hockey.

“The presser last year was pretty awful,” Holster took a big gulp of his beer, “We figured this would make it more bearable.”

“Smart plan,” Dex laughed as Ransom handed him a beer from the bucket in front of them, “Is it just the two of you?”

“We’re yelling if we see anyone walk by,” Ransom shrugged, “So far it’s just you.”

Dex only had one beer. He hadn’t been as the presser last year, but he didn’t think doing any media after a few drinks was a good idea. Holster and Ransom didn’t notice, they just kept drinking and talking.

They walked over to the Amalie Arena at 3:45. Lardo was talking to Shitty Knight, Jack’s agent, when she saw Dex she walked over to him and fixed his hair, “You’re red.”

“There’s sunshine here.”

“Did you put on sunscreen?”

“Yes  _ mom _ ,” Dex rolled his eyes, feeling like a teenager as he did it. She flicked him on the ear and there was a snort from next to them.

Derek Nurse, current holder of the Calder and the second-year star of the Toronto Maple Leafs stood with his hands in his pockets, looking like an Armani ad.

“Got something to say Nurse?” Dex asked, turning away from Lardo. He hadn’t formally met Nurse yet, but he  _ had  _ managed to get a sweet shot between his legs when they had played each other last month.

“Just enjoying the view Poindexter,” Nurse winked and Dex was glad that he was already red, “Nice to officially meet you.”

“Same,” Dex stuck his hand out and Nurse shook it. Lardo probably got a picture of it, she was annoying like that, “What brings you to Tampa.”

Nurse really laughed this time, “Poindexter’s got jokes, amazing.”

“I’m very funny,” Dex nodded, “And very talented.”

“And so humble,” Nurse was smiling and Dex’s entire world was tilting on its axis. He knew in theory that Derek Nurse was handsome, but seeing it in person, seeing him with his perfectly tousled curls and his form fitting pants, Dex wasn’t going to survive.

“As humble as you,” Dex winked this time. Nurse wasn’t exactly known for being humble. In his first ever game he had manage to score a hatty against the Blue Jackets, which was impressive on its own, but coupled with the fact that Nurse was a  _ defenseman _ , it was nearly unheard of. The goalie had asked Nurse to sign his stick after, another weird moment, and Nurse had signed it ‘ _ Hats off to you for a great game _ ’.

“So incredibly humble then,” Nurse stepped a little closer to Dex and whispered, “Are you as nervous as I am about this whole thing?”

Dex breathed a sigh of relief, “If you kind of feel like you’re going to be sick, then yes.”

“I’m surprised I didn’t puke already.”

“Ransom and Holster found me and made me have a drink before we came,” Dex admitted, “So that probably helped.”

“Wish I had a drink,” Nurse laughed, “So you and Justin aren’t arch-rivals then?”

“Someone watches too much TV.”

“Probably,” Nurse admitted, “Holy shit that’s Jack Zimmermann.”

“Yeah,” Dex turned to see Jack walking in with Sidney Crosby, “And fucking Crosby.”

“I’m more of a Zimmermann fan,” Nurse whispered, “I went to Samwell because of him.”

“He’s a great dude,” Dex waved at Jack, who waved back with a small smile, “He called me after my draft and let me vent to him for like an hour and then took me out to dinner before the season started.”

“Shit,” Nurse looked at Dex kind of in awe, “So you like,  _ know _ him.”

“As well as anyone else in the league I guess,” Dex looked at Nurse as Nurse watched Jack chat with Ransom and Holster, “He’s probably going to come say hi, he’s our captain for this thing.”

“Oh fuck, fuck you’re right, we get to play with him.”

“So maybe get all your fangirling out now,” Dex grinned at Nurse’s glare, “Don’t deny it.”

“I’m totally fucking chill,” Derek’s voice betrayed nothing, but Dex could see the way his shoulders tensed as Jack got closer.

“Dex!” Jack’s face was split into a wide smile. Ever since Jack came out after winning his most recent Cup he’d been like a different person, he seemed lighter as he pulled Dex into a hug, something that Dex had not been expecting, “And Derek Nurse.”

“You can call me Nursey,” Nurse’s voice was calm, his shoulders still a little tense.

Jack extended a hand and shook Nursey’s, “You played a hell of a game against us last week.”

“I – thank you,” Nursey cracked a smile, “You got by me a couple times though.”

“Well,” the shrug Jack offered clearly said, ‘I’m Jack Zimmermann, what are you going to do?’ and Nursey laughed.

“Is Eric here, Jack?” Dex asked, wanting to show that he supported Jack without being obnoxious about it.

“He stayed home with Clara,” Jack’s smile was bigger now than it had been when he won the cup, “Want to see pictures?”

“Yeah,” Dex and Nursey said at the same time and then they rolled their eyes at each other.

“Looks like you two will have to be linemen for our games,” Jack elbowed Dex, “With how in sync you are already.”

Before either of them could comment the players were ushered into the room where they’d be doing press. “Poindexter and Nurse, you two are in room B first.”

“Looks like we get to keep hanging out,” Nursey threw an arm around Dex’s shoulder as they walked, “Do you think they thought we’d hate each other and this would be entertaining for fans or do you think they thought we’d get along.”

“I’m just glad they didn’t put me with Ransom,” Dex allowed Nurse to guide him to the room, “They always throw us together and hope for  _ drama _ .”

“I mean,” there was a pause while Nurse thought, “It was pretty fun to watch how annoyed you got every time someone mentioned Justin going first or how he was the face of the young NHL.”

“Yeah it was really fun to be a part of that too,” Dex glared at Derek, maybe he wasn’t as cool as he seemed.

“No bro, I bet it was miserable,” Nursey squeezed his shoulder quickly before he removed his arm and flopped in one of the bean bag chairs in the room, “But you went out and had a hell of a rookie season just to give everyone the middle finger.”

“Not just for that.”

“Yeah sure.”

“Seriously, part of it was because I wanted to prove to myself that I deserve to be here,” Dex had barely said that out loud to his closest friends and now he was admitting it to this guy who was practically a stranger.

“I get that,” Nursey nodded and the interviewer walked in with one of the NHL reps.

“Neither of you have any allergies, right?” The NHL rep asked and when they both shook their heads someone else came in with four puppies.

“Bro,” Nursey hit Dex, “Puppies.”

“I can see that Nursey,” Dex laughed, shifting a little so he could accept two of the little guys onto his lap. One of the puppies promptly started to nibble on Dex’s hand and the other flopped onto his back, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“This is mostly just for fun,” the interviewer said, turning the camera on and staying out of the shot, “We figured we could loosen you up with some cute animals and get you to spill your deepest, darkest secrets.”

“Mine is that I’ve always wanted a puppy,” Nursey wasn’t looking at the camera, instead he was completely enamored with the two little fur balls on his lap. The door opened again and Lardo slipped in with her camera out.

“Dude, we have the same secret,” Dex laughed as he played with the puppy that wasn’t sleeping, “Are these up for adoption?”

“Yes,” The girl who brought them in chimed in, “They’re all from a local shelter that’s still overcrowded from the last hurricane.”

“I might… I might need one,” Dex was only kidding a little bit. He had finally moved out of the Pominville house this season and even though Wicky lived with him he wanted something permanent in his life.

“What if we co-parented one,” Nurse looked up at him with a grin, “We could meet halfway and trade off weeks.”

“Will they let you take animals over the border,” Dex joked and Nursey’s face fell.

“Good point,” Nurse sighed laying down and letting one of his puppies curl up on his chest, “Wait did you want to ask us any questions?”

“Keep doing what you’re doing,” the interview wasn’t doing a great job at doing his job.

“I mean if you really do get a puppy I’m going to come visit it,” Derek didn’t sit up, so Dex shifted a little so he could see his face. He was smiling and his eyes were closed as the other puppy licked his face.

“They might not let you in,” Dex grinned. Buffalo fans were not fond of the Leafs or their players even though Nurse himself had never done anything to offend them, they were a very loyal bunch. Dex loved them.

“That’s true,” Derek opened his eyes and Dex hated how pretty they were, “There’s nothing quite like being booed by an arena filled with 20,000 people who hate your guts.”

“It feels great right?” Dex wasn’t even joking. He loved playing at home more than anything because the home crowd was always great, especially now that they were doing alright, but the next best feeling was getting booed by crowd that really hated you.

“I didn’t think it would,” Derek sat up carefully, making sure the puppy was okay, “But damn if it isn’t a sweet shot of adrenalin. Can we trade puppies for a second?”

Dex looked down at the sleeping one and offered him to Derek, keeping the playful on for himself, “I’m keeping him, I’m naming him Perreault.”

“So you like playing for the Sabres then,” Derek grinned down at the three napping puppies in his lap, “You should get three and name them Perreault, Martin, and Robert.”

“Three seems excessive,” Dex said after a moment to consider it, “I have some self-control, I’m not Leslie Knope.”

“You’re definitely more the Ben Wyatt type,” Derek agreed and then a truly terrifying smile spread across his face, “I’m going to call you Ice Clown.”

“Fuck you bro,” Dex laughed, shoving him so that he toppled over on his beanbag, “If I ever made an Ice Town it would still be up and running.”

“I’ll let you think that,” Nursey cuddled all three puppies to his chest, “I, on the other hand, have no self-control and would adopt all of these guys if I didn’t still live with Bozak and his family.”

“Looks like I’m the smart one then,” Dex let Perreault lick his face. He was 99% sure Lardo would kill him if he got a puppy, but he took out his phone really quickly and snapped a picture to Wicky with the caption, ‘Can I keep him?’.

Nurse rolled his eyes, “Wait dude, does the dog filter work on dogs?”

“Only one way to find out,” Dex turned so that Nurse and his puppies were in the shot and added the filter. It didn’t add itself to the dogs, but that might have been because it added itself to he and Nurse. They took a goofy selfie with all the puppies and Dex captioned it with a bunch of dog emojis.

Wicky snapped him back a video of himself with a heart eye filter, “Bro Dex if you don’t bring a puppy back I’m kicking you out.”

“How is it living with a teammate that isn’t also like a big brother?” Derek asked after the video ended. It was clear that Wicky was enjoying the break from the empties in the background and what Dex was pretty sure had been a bra.

Dex laughed, “It’s good, Wicks is a trip. He reminds me of my brother.”

The door opened and the NHL rep came back in, “Two-minute warning.”

“Wait,” Dex turned to the puppy lady, “Can I really adopt this one? I already named him and I love him more than anything.”

“More than me? Harsh bro,” Derek laughed and Dex smiled at him.

“Way more than I love Nursey or any other human.”

“I can get the paperwork together and have him ready to go when the press events are over today, unless you want us to hold on to him until Sunday when the events are all over.”

“That would be awesome,” Dex let out a happy sigh, he really hadn’t gone into this weekend expecting much and now he had a dog and he might be kind of flirting with Derek Nurse, who was much more handsome in person. 

Nurse and Dex were ushered out of the room, but not before Dex kissed his new puppy on the nose and he heard a camera shutter. 

The next bit of press was more like actual press, the guys were showed to the shared locker room, they put Dex in-between Nursey and Ransom. He figured that was the league trying to give the media a little something to talk about because Parson was out for the next four weeks with a broken hand. Jack gave Dex a little smile that clearly said, ‘been there’ before he turned back to Sidney about who knows what, probably something Canadian.

“Bro look how cute Dex’s new puppy is,” Nursey turned his phone to Ransom while Dex was interviewed next to them so he couldn’t even turn to see the picture.

“So, you adopted one of the puppies?” the interviewer asked with a smile, “Do you think that’ll be distracting to your game for the rest of the season.”

Dex laughed, “No way, Wicky and I are going to have so much fun with Perrault. I’ve been talking about wanting to get a dog since I moved out of Jason’s house. The Pominville’s have two dogs and today seemed like the perfect time to fill that void.”

“And what about on roadies?”

“There’s a great kennel in my neighborhood where a lot of the guys board their dogs,” Dex shrugged, “I used to feel like the only thing in life that really mattered was hockey, now I know that there’s more so it’s nice to be living outside the bubble.”

The interviewer moved on to the next guy and Dex had a second to look at his stall. Someone had brought over all of their gear, his regular jersey was handing in front of his All-Star jersey. He ran his finger along the sleeve with a little smile.

After they finished in the locker room most of the guys were given the go ahead to leave for dinner. They held the captains back for one last interview and a meeting; Dex was grateful he wasn’t a captain yet, he was fucking hungry.

“Dinner?” Nurse asked as they walked out of the arena side-by-side.

“Not tired of me yet?” It was a half joke, half giving Nurse an out. Dex was under no delusion about himself, he was kind of an asshole, he was a bit standoffish, he was sarcastic in a biting way, and he had a temper both on and off the ice.

“Course not,” he bumped his shoulder against Dex’s and Dex’s stomach swooped, “Gotta get to know my line man.”

“Jack wouldn’t play two d-men together in a three-on-three game,” Dex rolled his eyes, but followed Nurse out of the back of the arena. A few of the other guys were with them, they were a bit older, the kind of guys that Dex wanted to be like in five years, only he wanted to be better.

“Zimmermann’s nuts,” Snowy grinned, “He’s smart too, if he thinks you’d play well together he’d do it.”

“See,” Nurse grinned and Dex’s stomach swooped again, “D-men for life dude!”

\-------

Dex woke with a start the next morning; his alarm wasn’t supposed to go off until 9 and it’s only 8:10. He didn’t really drink last night, only two beers at dinner so wasn’t a hangover that woke him. There was a pounding on his door and yep, that’s Lardo’s knock. He rolled out of bed, not bothering with a shirt and pulled the door open.

At least she had coffee in her hand, “Morning sunshine, you’ve got an interview at 9:30.”

“No, I have skate at 10:30 and breakfast with some of the guys at 9:30.”

“Nope,” she took a sip of her coffee and Dex poked what was clearly a hickey on her collarbone, “Fuck you.”

“You woke me up for an interview that isn’t on my schedule.”

“They added it last night after they saw how well you and Nurse get along,” she smirked, “It’s you, Nurse, and Chow from the Sharks. The new generation of American hockey.”

“For fucks sake.”

“Get dressed, wear your ass pants,” Lardo takes another long sip of her coffee while Dex gapes at her. He’s pretty useless before 10 most days and especially when he hasn’t had coffee yet, “I’ll get you a bagel and meet you in the lobby in 20. Hall wants me to manage you before the interview.”

“I don’t need to be  _ managed _ ,” which is a lie. He does.

She laughed again, swatting his ass, “Sure you don’t.”

Dex does put on his ‘ass pants’, but only because he likes how they look on him, not because Lardo told him to. He manages to get his hair to cooperate with a lot of water and some gel and his pulls on a short sleeve button down that has little buffalos on it, his sister had sent it to him as a joke a few months prior and he’d never tell her how much he loved it.

“Lookin’ good Poindexter,” Nurse looks altogether too awake for it being before 9. The Leafs media guy to chatting with Lardo, looking smitten, “Nice shirt.”

“Gotta rep my team,” Dex winks, taking a bite of the bagel that Lardo had brought for him, “Do you have any idea what this interview is about?”

“Apparently, we’re too charming,” Nurse grinned, “The league didn’t realize how well we got along and they want to capitalize on us being in the same place, on the same team.”

“And bring Chow into it,” Dex added, leaning against the wall, “They probably want to rub it in the Olympics face that they’ve got us.”

“Bro I wish we were going to Korea,” Nurse practically whined and Dex understood. They’d probably get the chance to go in 2022 if neither of them got hurt in too badly in the next four years, but there’s something about representing your country that’s fucking awesome.

“We’d win gold for sure,” a new voice joined the conversation and they both turned to see Chris Chow, rookie goalie who recorded 6 shutouts already this season. He looked a lot scarier on the ice, “I’m Chowder!”

“Nursey,” Nurse extended his hand and Chowder shook it with a bright smile. He still had  _ braces _ . He looked every bit of 19, which he was, “And this is Dex.”

“I know!” Chowder blushed, “I mean, I know who you two are, I played you guys. You’re both totally sawesome. I wish I could play  _ with you _ , how cool would that be.”

Dex laughed, “It would be totally sawesome.”

“Jack taught me that!” Chowder was talking fast, “He’s  _ so cool _ , he asked me to let him take some shots on me yesterday. He’s so good!”

“Yeah, Jack’s awesome,” Dex pat Chowder on the shoulder, “Maybe we should save some of the excitement for the interview.”

Nurse threw an arm around both of them, “2022 isn’t going to know what hit them.”

When the league rep and the interviewer walked in five minutes later Nursey had Dex in a headlock and they were arguing about which coast was better. Chowder, the traitor, agreed with Nursey that the West was best, while Dex maintained that the East Coast was where it was at.

“New York City,  _ Boston _ , D.C.,” Dex flicked Nursey’s chest, “What do you have out on the west coast, L.A.? Lame.”

“Excuse you, I’m from the City of Angels,” Nurse ruffled Dex’s hair and let him up.

“No surprise there, pretty boy,” Dex grinned at the blush that spread over Nursey’s cheeks. They were mostly just chirping each other, painfully aware of the cameras that the interviewer brought in.

Twenty minutes later they had all settled in to a pretty standard Q&A session. Dex was sandwiched between Nurse and Chow on a loveseat, like they hadn’t planned to have three professional hockey players on the couch. He had his arms along the back to give them all a little more space.

“So, you’re telling me you two didn’t know each other before yesterday?”

“I mean I knew  _ of _ him,” Dex shrugged, “Everyone knows who Derek Nurse is in the league, not knowing who he is would be like not knowing who Jack Zimmermann is or Crosby.”

“I almost left the NCAA a couple years early,” Nurse offered, “But I was scared shitless of being in the same draft class as Poindexter and Oluransi. Plus, I really wanted to follow in the Zimmermann footsteps and Jack finished Samwell before going into the league.”

“Dude if you were in my draft class I’d have gone third,” Dex was surprised that he didn’t sound or feel bitter about it. Maybe that 80-million-dollar contract was actually starting to make him feel a little more confident in himself.

“Bullshit,” Nurse said, then turned to the interviewer, “Sorry.”

She just waved her hand, “So what about you Chow, it’s your rookie season and you’re already in the All-Star game. Do you feel the pressure of being one of the faces of young American hockey?”

“Well  _ now _ I do,” Chowder half laughed, but Dex knew that feeling. The feeling of being 19 and having the weight the country on your shoulders, he squeezed Chowder’s neck and he seemed to relax a little, “It’s great to be here, I looked up to pretty much all of these guys growing up and now I’m playing alongside them.”

“It’s definitely a different kind of pressure,” Nurse added, “The draft brings its own stress, but once you’re in the league it’s not about how high your draft number is.”

“Yeah, it’s about actually proving you were worth that high of a pick,” Dex nodded, finishing Nursey’s thought, “It’s like, it’s like you’re never done proving yourself.”

“Exactly,” Nurse turned to Dex, “So being here, being thought of as the best of the best is kind of validating, it makes you feel like less of a pretender.”

“I still look for the Punk’d cameras some days,” Dex grinned, he could still feel Nursey’s gaze.

“What’s Punk’d?” Chowder asked and Dex and Nursey cracked up, “But really? What is it?”

“Do you ever feel really old even though you’re only like 22?” Dex asked and Nursey nodded emphatically.

“We’re all excited to see how the next couple days go,” the interviewer smiled at all three of them, “It’ll be a treat to see you two play on the same team and to see how many shots in a row Chris here can block.”

“Probably all of them,” Nurse said honestly, “He’s unreal.”

“Dude,” Chowder blushed, his smile was bashful.

“I’ll let you get to the ice, see you rink side.”

They took their mics off and headed to the locker room. They changed quickly, leaving their stuff in their stalls and headed for the ice. The other guys weren’t out there yet, which made Dex feel better, he didn’t want special treatment just because the league wanted them to have more media coverage. 

“Race you!” Nurse shoves him into the boards and took off around the ice, but Dex was fast. Nursey might have had a couple second head start, but Dex caught him easily and came out ahead of him by one stride, “Shit, you’re fast for a d-man.”

“I’m fast in general,” Dex shrugs and grabs his stick, “Come on, let’s make some magic happen. We need to carry the Atlantic to a win and some prize money.”

“Because we need that extra money so badly,” Nurse shakes his head and yeah, that’s fair. The NHL might not be the best paying league, not by a long shot, but when you’re a star of the game like they are, you make good money.

“If I win any of it I’m putting it in a fund for my little brother to go to college,” Dex admitted quietly, “My parents can’t afford it.”

“Dude, what a good brother,” Nurse stole the puck from him and staked down the ice to the empty net, scoring easy on no one, “You’ll probably win fastest.”

“Ransom’s probably going to win, he won last year.”

“ _ You _ weren’t here last year,” Nursey bumped against him, “Come on, let’s run drills so Jack’ll be impressed with us.”

Jack _ was _ impressed, he pulled them both aside before they started a mock practice in front of the media and told them that if they kept it up they’d be first line with him.

Dex did not push himself extra hard at the thought of playing on the same line of a 3-on-3 game with Jack Zimmermann, he did  _ not _ . Okay maybe he did, but just a little bit. He had a competition that night, he couldn’t over exert himself too early.

By the time they broke for lunch Dex was feeling pretty great. He wasn’t as starstruck as Nurse was, but that was because Dex had been around a little bit longer and when he played juniors he had played with a lot of world class players.

“How are you so chill?” Nurse asked, plopping down Dex with his food, “Like, that’s Alex Ovechkin.”

“He’s kind of a dick,” Dex shrugged. Ovechkin  _ was _ kind of a dick, or maybe he was just cocky. Either way, Dex was glad that he’d sat down far away from them, “And he thinks it’s cool to be missing teeth.”

“I mean,” Nurse shrugged, “It’s not uncool.”

“I like my smile just the way it is, thanks,” Dex shook his head, “Though I wouldn’t mind a couple cool scars.”

Nurse ran his finger over one Dex had in his eyebrow, “You’ve already got one.”

“Got that one at BU,” Dex grinned.

“Yeah, you’d look dumb without teeth,” Nurse grinned too just as Ransom and Holster joined them.

“Over, under on them saying you and I still hate each other,” Ransom asked Dex without preamble, stealing one of his fries.

“If you keep stealing my food I’m going to tell them they’re right,” Dex raised an eyebrow at Ransom who gave him a shit eating grin.

“How come you’re nice to Nurse but you never want to hang out with me,” Ransom pouted and Dex laughed. Their rivalry had been played up in the press like the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry had been and still kind of was.

“Rivals can’t hang out,” Dex said sagely, stealing one of Ransom’s chips, “It’s the nature of the game.”

“I like to think that we’re above all that,” Ransom waved his hand around. Holster and Nurse exchanged a look and Dex rolled his eyes.

“You know I love you Rans,” Dex offered a smile, “Just don’t let the media catch me saying that. The more attention I get the more money I can get out of Under Armor.”

“All about the money with you,” Nursey chirped, “It’s like we don’t even matter.”

“Hey if you want to pay me five million dollars to exclusively wear your undershirts you’ll matter a whole lot,” Dex shrugged, “Plus, free shirts and compression shorts.”

“Yeah but it is American money or Canadian,” Nurse chirped.

“This is America,” Dex said sagely, “Some of us play for the homeland.”

“Isn’t Buffalo like, basically Canada?”

“Isn’t Toronto  _ actually _ Canada,” Dex shot back. Ransom and Holster exchanged a knowing look that Dex didn’t like before the conversation completely derailed, the four of them throwing Canadian and American stereotypes around until they had to head back to the ice.

By the time they took their dinner break and all changed from their practice gear to their jerseys Dex was having more fun than he expected. He loved hockey, he loved playing for the Sabres, but this was a whole different ball game, this was like summer camp, but with the best hockey players in the world.

The fastest skater competition was first, a fact that Dex was happy about. He didn’t like waiting around when he was already kind of nervous. He knew it didn’t mean anything, that it was just a lap around the ice, but he was a professional athlete, he liked to  _ win _ .

When it was his turn, Nursey swatted his ass and yelled, “Get ‘em Poindexter.”

He knew that the camera near them had picked up on it so he turned and blew Nurse a kiss. He wasn’t as cheeky as Marchand, he didn’t blow kisses to the crowd when they booed him, but then again, they hadn’t booed Dex.

It felt good, skating around the ice at top speed. He wasn’t sure how long it took him, but he knew that his time was good based on the cheers of the crowd. When he looked up at the scoreboard he saw that he had done it in 13.34 seconds, not his fastest time ever, but the fastest of the group so far.

Ransom went last, he won last year and everyone expected him to win this year. Dex held his breath when Rans kicked off the ice, skating as fast as his body would let him. Dex knew that there were some talking heads sitting in a booth somewhere analyzing form and commenting where people had miss stepped, but from where he stood Ransom looked great. He came to a stop and Dex finally looked at the times. Ransom had come in at 13.36, Dex  _ won _ .

Nursey tackled him onto the ice, it felt oddly familiar. Dex couldn’t keep the smile off his face as Nursey chanted “Dex! Dex! Dex!”

“Fuck off Nursey,” Dex laughed, “They’re going to want to interview me.”

Nurse ruffled his hair and got up, offering Dex a hand, that he accepted and skated over to Brian Boucher who was doing the rink side reporting.

“Will,” Boosh’s smile was infectious, “Fastest skater in the league, maybe the world, how do you feel.”

“Fast,” Will gave him a shit eating grin. He had a bit of a reputation for being an asshole, no need to change that perception, “Nice to finally come in first.”

Boosh laughed, “And you beat Justin, that had to feel good.”

“Well that’s what he gets for stealing my fries at lunch. They must have slowed him down near the end,” Will winked and Boosh laughed again, “If I’m back next year I’ll try to break the league record.”

“I double that’s an if, you’ll be back,” he gave Dex a pat on the arm, “I’ll let you get back to the boys.”

“Thanks, Boosh,” Dex gave a little salute to the camera and skated back to where Ransom was kneeling, “Looked good out there bro.”

“You looked better,” Ransom smiled. Dex was glad they were friends now, even if they wanted to beat the shit out of each other, nicely, on the ice.

“I had to beat you one day,” he shrugged, “Where’s your other half?”

“Holtzy’s doing the hardest shot,” Ransom nodded to where Holster was lined up with the rest of the guys.

“I hope PK wins, no offense,” Dex figured that Ransom wouldn’t be offended and based on his smile, he wasn’t, “I’m going to go annoy Nursey before the puck handling.”

“Alright bro,” Ransom gave him a meaningful look that Dex didn’t understand. He just skated over to Nurse and hip checked him into the boards with a laugh. The interaction made it onto the jumbotron and the fans cheered, making Dex grin wider.

The next event is hardest shot, something that Dex would have liked to participate in, but he knew he wouldn’t win it yet, not with people like PK, Ovechkin, and Holster participating. It was still fun to watch though, he, Nursey, Chowder, and a couple of the other young guys took it upon themselves to be as obnoxious as possible. It was more fun than Dex thought it would be, and he thought it was going to be pretty fucking fun.

When Nursey got up to do the puck handling skills Dex slapped him on the ass and winked when Nurse turned around. It felt like he had known him for years even if it had only really been a day. Puck control was always a fun event and it was even more fun to watch when you’d played against most of the guys doing the drill.

Nurse managed to finish in 31.34 seconds, bested only by Jack’s 30.55. He didn’t look upset about it though, especially when Jack ruffled his hair before he skated to his rinkside interview.

“Your hair looks mad sexy like that,” Dex commented as Nursey rejoined them.

“Oh yeah?” Nurse ran a hand through it, “It always looks sexy.”

“What’s your hair care regimen,” he teased, but also Nursey’s hair did look mad sexy pretty much all the time so it was kind of a valid question. It’s rare to have your hair look good when you take your helmet off and Dex had seen Nursey’s look perfect after.

And then Nurse was off, telling him about his conditioner and this sweet wax he had started using. Dex couldn’t help but watch him as he talked, he was completely enamored and he was very grateful that they were on a commercial break so that the TV cameras didn’t capture him.

“And that’s pretty much it,” Nurse shrugged, “But you and your white boy hair probably only need a little wax and you’re all set.”

“I have gel?” Dex shrugged, “Honestly my sister picked my haircut.”

Derek  _ laughed _ , his head thrown back. A couple of the guys looked at them and he heard Crosby say, “Americans, eh?” Jack nodded in silent, Canadian, agreement.

The events continued, Dex and Nursey kept chirping each other and the other players. When the most blocked shots event started they were both loose and ready to make Johnson look bad. Chowder had the record so far with 15 shots stopped in a row. He had missed his first two and then didn’t miss another until the last shot.

“Should we have a celly if either of us score?” Nurse asked as they waited their turn.

“We should tomorrow,” Dex nodded, “Not tonight though, no one else really did.”

“We can do something mad obnoxious.”

“Let’s do the shots good point at the same time, isn’t that your regular move?”

“Just a couple times,” Nurse shrugged, “It’s a good one, let’s do it.”

Dex managed to get one by Johnson, it was a fucking beaut to the top left corner of the goal. He had faked him perfectly after watching Nursey’s shot to the same spot get blocked. With that Dex managed to stop a 9 block streak and ensure Chowder would hold the record for at least another few minutes.

When he skated back over to Nursey they bumped chests because apparently that’s a thing they were doing now. Dex was completely  _ fucked _ . “I hope we don’t play the Pacific division in the final game.”

“With Chowder in the net we’d be fucked.”

“So, fucked,” Nurse nodded, “But hey, we’ve got Zimmermann on our team.”

“I’m kind of sad Jack’s husband and kids aren’t here,” a little frown pulled at Dex’s face as they leaned against the boards, watching Rinne block Ransom’s shot, “Eric sent me pie after I broke my leg last year.”

“I’m glad Jack’s here after everything,” Nurse nodded along, “I don’t get why people give a fuck about who he’s married to or whatever.”

“He told me after he came out that his team had known for years, but he and Eric had been too scared to come out to the world because Jack didn’t think he had proved himself yet,” Dex offered quietly, so no one else could hear.

“So, you two are close?”

“I mean, Jack gets it, he checks in on me,” Dex shrugged, “Coming in second, always feeling like second best, not being like the rest of the team.”

“Are you-?” Nurse stopped himself, looking around, “Never mind.”

“I am,” Dex offered, “I’m like Jack.”

“Cool,” Nurse didn’t look freaked out and he didn’t move away from Dex, which Dex took as a good sign, “I think I’m more like Parse.”

That was a little shocking to Dex. Sure, everyone knew about Kent Parson now. Jack coming out hadn’t exactly opened the floodgates, but there were four or five out players now. Most of them were in committed relationships or married. Parse had come out last, after his injury, because he wanted his husband at the hospital.

“Not trying to make any statements, just trying to live your life?”

“Exactly,” Nurse nodded, “I’m in the public eye to play hockey and being one of the only brown dudes out here is hard enough.”

Dex hadn’t even thought about that. Of course, he hadn’t. It made sense though, he couldn’t imagine how much pressure was on Nurse, how many times he’d probably heard slurs on the ice in college, how tough he had to be to handle it.

“I – fuck that sucks, I’m sorry dude,” Dex squeezed his neck and Nurse smiled, “I’ll kick their asses for you.”

“Thanks, Will,” Nurse’s smile was private even though they were still on the ice, still surrounded by other players, still on camera. Luckily, that moment don’t get filmed.  

The thing is, Dex has already surpassed everyone’s expectations by winning the fastest skater competition, but damn if he doesn’t want to make Jack Zimmermann proud and win the All-Star game itself. So, when Jack insists that they have an hour practice at 9 the day of the game obviously Dex shows up early to get loose and to impress Jack.

Nursey goes with him. Neither of them stayed out too late the night before even if a lot of the guys had given them shit about it, but they both wanted to play like they deserved to be there.

“I keep wanting to call you rookies,” Jack’s smile is proud and that feels good, “Even though I know you’re not.”

“Haven’t been a rookie for a while, Cap,” Dex follows behind Jack as they all head back to the locker room to change before lunch and more press, “Nurse on the other hand is still basically a rookie.”

“You’ve got  _ one _ year on me you dick,” Nurse bumped him into the door frame with a grin, “And I won the Calder so.”

“So, you’re closer to being a rookie,” Dex’s laugh echoes around the locker room, “Remind me who wins the Calder again.”

“Save it for the ice boys,” Jack is such a dad; it’s fucking adorable.

They do save if for the ice and on the ice, they click like fucking magic. Dex has never gelled with someone as quickly as Derek Nurse. It’s probably because they’ve watched each other play and they practiced a little before the game, but whatever it is, it feels like magic.

They both get the assist to Jack on the first goal of the game, then Dex assists Nurse; it’s a beauty of a goal, Dex had a sweet behind the back pass to where he  _ knew _ Nurse would be and Nurse went right through Rinne’s legs. They don’t do the celly yet, they wanted to save it for when Dex scored because it would be more surprising from Dex.

Nurse is off for the next shift, but Dex gets as assist to Point and it feels almost as good as the one who got to Nurse. It’s not as pretty, it’s more luck than skill, but a goal is a goal.

They’re up 4-3 with six minutes left and Dex gets  _ another _ assist, this one to Karlsson from Nurse. It was a beautiful goal, Karlsson racing down the ice, a pass to Dex, who went to Nurse around the back of the net, to Karlsson.

And then the refs take the goal back and call offsides. It’s the right call after seeing the replay, but it fucking sucks and they’re tied again. They get pulled off, Jack is in with Karlsson and Holster.

“We gotta get back in there,” Nurse’s eyes didn’t leave the ice, but Dex knew he was talking to him, “We need that celly bro.”

“We’ll get it,” Dex sounded more confident than he was, but fake it til you make it was the Poindexter motto, “We’ll do it even if it’s you.”

“It’s gonna be you,” Nurse grins at him and coach calls their line.

They  _ do _ get the goal, it’s another pretty one, Jack to Nurse to Dex who goes over the right shoulder of Rinne. He’d feel bad, but he likes winning and he had an assist taken away from him.

As soon as the puck is in the net he does the ‘good goal’ sign toward Rinne and he looks over to see Nurse doing it at him. His smile is stupid big, but he doesn’t care. He scored a goal at the All-Star game on one of the best goalies in the NHL.

When as the buzzer went off signaling the end of the 3-on-3 game Nurse crashed into Dex, slamming him into the boards. Their faces were close enough that Dex could have kissed him if they hadn’t had on helmets, or you know, if they weren’t on national television. Jack joined them and it was one of the best moments in Dex’s career so far.

They lost the final game, only scoring two goals to the Pacific’s 5, but honestly it was kind of expected. They were all dragging toward the end of the game and Chowder is a beast in the net. It was kind of hard for Dex to reconcile the Chowder he’d talked to off of the ice with the Chow in the net, who was spitting venom and profanity.

He and Nurse had a point each in the game, an assist to Jack for both of them. It was fun though, so fucking fun. After the game Chowder hugged them both and was back to the smiling kid they’d met before.

“You still got the money for your brother’s college fund,” Nursey hasn’t stopped smiling since they left the ice. It’s been at least fourth-five minutes and they’re all freshly showered, they’ve done the press that they’re required to do, the only guys still stuck with mics in their face are the captains and Chowder. It’s moments like this that Dex is grateful he didn’t go first. 

“Party on the hotel roof,” Holster yelled to the locker room at large once the press is gone, “Rans and I rented out the bar.”

Dex knows that there’s no way they’re getting out of going, not that he would want to get out of it, but damn he’s tired. He and Nurse head back to the hotel before some of the other guys and Dex had never been more grateful for shitty hotel coffee in his life.

When Nurse knocks on his door twenty minutes later Dex still doesn’t have a shirt picked out, but he is wearing his jeans that Lardo has called sinful. They’re even tighter on his thighs now than they were the last time he had worn them which he’s taking as a sign that he’s spending enough time on his quads.

“Going shirtless tonight Poindexter?” Nursey’s gaze felt hot and Dex grabbed a plain black shirt, “Oh way to ruin the fun.”

“Let’s see where the night leads, eh?” Dex winked in a way that he hoped wasn’t too much. If the way Nursey watched his mouth was any indication, it wasn’t.

“God, Buffalo really is practically Canada,” Nurse hit the roof button in the elevator and they were going up, “Eh.”

“Of fuck off,” but Dex was laughing. He was really fucking glad that Nurse was here with him right now, that he wasn’t going up alone, that he’d actually come out to someone in the league besides Jack.

“Let’s get wasted dude.”

They didn’t exactly get wasted, but Dex was closer to drunk than sober by the time the older guys headed back down. Most of the guys with families came by for a few drinks and then went to bed, Dex figured that when he was their age he’d do the same thing, but for now he’s legal, he’s young, and he’s a fucking All-Star.

“Damn straight you are,” Nurse had an arm around Dex’s waist, his fingers brushed against the exposed skin of Dex’s hip, “A fucking All-Star among All-Stars.”

Dex rolled his eyes, Nurse had drunk about as much as he had so he wasn’t too drunk, but they were both on the edge, “Hey Nurse.”

“Sup?”

“Want to maybe,” he paused, swallowed, leaned closer, “Get out of here?”

Nursey’s eyes lit up, “Definitely.”

They managed to keep their hands mostly to themselves on the elevator ride down. It didn’t hurt that Chowder was with them, drunker than either of them. They got him to his room and laid him on his side with a trashcan next to the bed incase he puked.

“Should we leave him some water?” Dex asked, looking around the room for a bottle or glass. Nurse found a Gatorade in the bathroom and Dex wasn’t even going to question it. They left it next to his bed and left the room as Chowder called his girlfriend.

“Yours or mine?”

“Ransom and Holster are staying next to me,” Nursey laughed, “So maybe yours.”

“Sure,” Dex ran his hand through his hair and lead them down one flight of stairs to his room. He only missed once when trying to open his door and then they’re tumbling inside.

As soon as the doors closed Dex pushed Nurse against it and stopped just an inch away from his mouth, “This is what you came down here for, right?”

“Fuck yeah it is,” Nurse doesn’t smile, instead he does something even better with his mouth.

Dex has kissed dudes before, usually in hotel rooms during tournaments in juniors, usually drunk, usually they’re not nearly as good looking or as talented as Derek Nurse. Usually they don’t talk while they hook up, usually they don’t talk about it after. He has a feeling that Nurse might be different than those other guys, but he can’t know for sure.

“Poindexter, stop thinking and put those fucking hands on me,” Nurse pulls back, eyes dark.

“These hands?” Dex chirped, doing a little jazz hands right in front of Derek’s face just to be annoying. Nursey rolled his eyes, smiling wide. He leaned forward and sucked one of Dex’s fingers into mouth and  _ that _ stops the jazz hands as fast as anything.

“Yeah, those hands.”

This definitely isn’t going to be like the other guys then. Dex walks them both toward the bed, one hand on Nursey’s ass, the other under his shirt feeling his abs, “You’re so hot.”

“Have you seen yourself?” Nurse’s laugh was like a fucking song as he tumbled backward onto the bed, kicking his shoes off and leaning up on his elbows, “How about giving me a little show.”

He rolled his eyes, but pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion, tossing it at Nursey’s face, “Your turn.”

“That wasn’t much of a show,” Nurse chirped, but he pulled his own shirt off, then his jeans, arching up so that he can wiggle out of them. Dex wants to touch him, but he knows he needs to peel his own jeans off. It takes a little more effort than he’d like to admit, but they’re  _ tight _ .

Nurse lets out an appreciative whistle, “Well shit.”

“Shit yourself,” Dex said, then his brain caught up with his mouth and he laughed, “That sounded wrong.”

“I’ll have you know I haven’t shit myself since I was 3.”

“Sure Nurse,” Dex wondered if he should take his socks off too, but the look Derek was giving him drove all thoughts of socks out of his head.

“I don’t understand how you can wear those pants without underwear,” Nurse sat up and grabbed Dex’s arm, pulling him down, “But damn it looked good when you took them off.”

“I may have forgotten enough underwear,” Dex admitted and Nurse laughed again. Dex hadn’t ever laughed this much during sex before, well they weren’t having sex yet, but they were both naked, except for their socks, and it felt like they’d be having some kind of sex soon.

“Christ Poindexter, you’re a mess,” Nurse kissed him again so Dex couldn’t defend himself which felt like a cheap play, but whatever. He liked kissing Derek Nurse so he was going to keep doing it.

They made out lazily, with no real heat behind it even though they were both naked and hard. Dex didn’t feel like they needed to rush, which was weird, usually when Dex hooked up with someone it was rushed, needy, over too quickly.

“I don’t have anything,” Dex muttered into Nursey’s mouth, “Condoms or whatever.”

“Me either,” Nurse admitted and then they were laughing again, “Looks like it’s hand jobs this time around.”

“Feels like junions all over again,” Will pulled back enough to lick his hand and wrap it around both of their cocks. It was still lazy though, neither of them rushing; just Dex stroking them and Nurse describing their goals between kisses.

Again, it felt like he’d known Nurse for years, like this was something they did often, like this was normal. Maybe it was Dex being hopeful, but it felt like something that could become normal. He picked up the pace as Nurse started to lose his train of thought.

“What, don’t you wanna tell me about our sweet assist to Jack,” but Dex gets it, he’s getting close himself. He leans down and kissed Nursey, nipping at his lip and squeezing a little tighter, going faster. 

“Fuuuck,” Nurse let out a groan that would have made Dex hard if he wasn’t already, “Will.”

Nursey came between them, mostly on Dex’s hand and his dick. He shifted so that he was only stroking himself and after a minute he came too, onto Nursey’s chest. It wasn’t as sexy in real life as it is in porn; it’s just kind of sticky and messy, but it felt amazing and Nursey still looks amazing, eyes half shut as he watched. 

“Gross,” Dex laughed, rolling off the bed and offering Nurse his clean hand, “Shower?”

“How are we going to fit?” Nursey followed him anyway, wiping the come off his chest onto Dex’s arm with a what could only be described as a giggle.

“Asshole.”

Nurse just shrugged. They make out a little while they waited for the water to heat up, which didn’t take long. It  _ was  _ a tight fit, but they made it work. It wasn’t like they needed to deep clean, they’d both done that after that game, but Nurse let Dex wash his back and Dex laughed when Nursey washed his hair. It was all so domestic, like something out of a life that he could have if he was someone else. 

When they’re out and dry and Dex as thrown a pair of sweats at Nursey before pulling on a pair himself, Dex expects it to be awkward. This part is almost always awkward. It’s either someone trying to make an excuse to leave when Dex wants them to stay or someone making an excuse to stay when Dex would rather them leave.

Nurse doesn’t make an excuse for anything, he just flops onto the bed and plugs his phone into Dex’s charger like he owns it before flipping the TV on. 

“Are you going to join me or just stand there all night?”

Dex crawled into bed next to him and allowed himself to be cuddled. They watched highlights from the All-Star game, from the Celtics and Clippers games, they watched Stephen A. Smith yell about Lebron James. It was kind of the perfect night. Dex fell asleep to the soft sounds of Nursey’s breathing with an arm wrapped around Nurse’s waist and his nose buried in Nurse’s neck. 

He woke slowly the next morning. He hadn’t set an alarm, his flight wasn’t until the next day even though Lardo had tried to convince him they should fly back sooner. The room was still pitch black, but it could have been well into the afternoon for all he knew; thank god for hotel shades. 

The bed next to him was empty. His heart dropped into his stomach and his stomach felt like it dropped out of his ass. 

This shouldn’t be a surprise, it was pretty typical of Dex’s life. He wasn’t good enough for someone like Derek Nurse. He wasn’t a number one draft pick, he wasn’t good looking like Nurse or Ransom or Jack. Nurse had probably woken up in the middle of the night and realized what a mistake he had made before bolting out of the room. 

He’d probably kick Dex’s ass next time they played and  _ shit _ what if Derek got caught leaving his room. What if they had been outed? Dex grabbed his phone to see if maybe Derek had texted him only to realize they hadn’t even exchanged numbers. He did have a text from Chowder, how he’d gotten Dex’s number he wasn’t sure, but C thanked him for getting him to his room with way too many emojis. 

Not three minutes after Dex had woken his door opened slowly. He wanted to hide under his pillows, he didn’t need Lardo to see him in the middle of his pity party. 

“Oh good,” Nurse’s smile is as bright as the fucking sun, “I got us breakfast.”

Dex’s heart returned to his chest and skipped a beat, “Thanks dude.”

Nurse climbed back into bed and handed Dex a breakfast sandwich and a cup of not shitty hotel coffee, “I figured since you let me crash in your bed and bother you all weekend I owed you a meal.”

“You haven’t been bothering me,” Dex said seriously, “You made this weekend fucking awesome.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Dex kissed him because it seemed like the thing to do. When he pulled back Nurse’s eyes were shut and he had a little smile pulling at his mouth, so Dex figured it was the right move.

“I hope you like bacon,” Nurse said after a beat, “Because that has a metric fuck ton of bacon.”

“Didn’t you actually graduate from college?” Nurse nodded, mouth full of food, “So you know actual measurements and shit, right?”

“You finished your degree online, don’t act like you’re not educated too.”

“I - yeah, how’d you know?”

“I thought you should have gone first,” Nurse shrugged, “I figured I’d keep tabs on my competition.”

“Is that what this is, keeping an eye on the competition,” Dex half joked. 

“Dude, no,” Nurse grabbed Dex’s face between his hands, they smelled like bacon, “Meeting you, really meeting you blew me away. Like I still want to kick your ass on the ice, but I want to like, do  _ this _ too.”

“Eat breakfast in bed?”

“Yeah,” Nurse shrugged, “Like, whatever you can give, I’ll take it.”

And, well, that was unexpected. 

“I can give you my number and a day at the beach today, for starters,” Dex knows that his smile is probably really goofy, but Derek doesn’t seem to mind, “Maybe we can start there and see where we are when the seasons done?”

“Chyeah, that sounds like a good fucking plan,” Derek kissed him and it felt like, this time, Dex was someone’s first choice. 

\----

“When does your flight get in again?” Nurse’s voice is kind of muffled, like he’s got the phone wedged between his shoulder and ear.

“Nine,” Dex looked around the airport, it’s late and the Buffalo-Niagara airport is all but empty. He’s waiting for his flight to L.A. to board, “You gonna pick me up?”

“Isn’t Sports Illustrated sending a car for you?”

“I mean, yeah, but it would have been nice for you to offer,” Dex laughed and it felt good. He needed some time away, he needed to clear his head, he  _ needed _ to make out with Derek Nurse for at least an hour. 

He’s still a little mad about how the season ended. They had a shitty start and it was an uphill battle the entire time, but they’d really hit their stride after the All-Star break. Dex had gone on 15 game point streak and they’d  _ almost _ made the wildcard. They’d been edged out by the Capitols by one point.  _ One fucking point _ . 

Derek’s season hadn’t ended any better, the Leafs weren’t even close to the wildcard. It wasn’t Derek’s fault, he’d played his heart out and in the next couple years the Sabres and Leafs would be Stanley Cup contenders, but not yet. 

Still, it’s never fun to lose  _ or _ to get so close to making it and then just not. So he’s a little wound up and he needed to get away. 

Usually he’d head back to Maine in the offseason, but this year he’d been thinking about staying in Buffalo for a while. It’s nice having a good gym to work out in and a couple of the guys are from Toronto, so he could visit them if he stuck around. 

“Well do you want me to pick you up?”

“No, Sports Illustrated is sending a car,” Dex knows he sounds like an asshole and he’s okay with it, Derek doesn’t mind, “Thanks though babe.”

“Oh I get babe tonight,” Derek laughed, “Text me when you land.”

“You’re going to be at the shoot, you’ll see me pretty much as soon as I land.”

“Still.”

“Yeah, okay,” Dex’s voice is soft, “We’re boarding.”

“See you soon. Have a safe flight.”

They didn’t say ‘I love you’, but Dex heard it in a lot of stuff that Derek said and he meant it when he reminded Derek to eat instead of spending an entire day wallowing in poetry. They didn’t say it yet, but Dex was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one feeling it. 

They’d seen each other exactly five times since the All-Star game, twice on the ice (and after at Dex’s apartment first and Derek’s second), and three nights when their off days matched up. It had  _ sucked _ , being only 2 hours apart and seeing so little of each other, but it had also only been like two and a half months so maybe Dex was being dramatic. 

He managed to sleep on the second leg of his flight from, Chicago to L.A. He had a dream that  Perreault was on skates and scored a winning goal. When he woke with a crick in his neck and a red spot on his cheek from where he’d been leaning on the window he remembered that his mom had driven down to pick up his dog and that she wouldn’t let him near skates. Dex already missed the brat, but he knew that his parents and siblings would spoil him rotten while he was away, so it was okay.  

It was weird, being in L.A., not bad weird, just different. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Buffalo, he really did, but L.A. was bigger, warmer, and just  _ different _ . The car picked him up and took him straight to the photo studio. 

There would be an interview later in the week, but today was a group photoshoot for the Sports Illustrated ‘generations’ issue where they highlighted the best athletes of this upcoming generation in American Sports. 

Dex, Nursey, and Chowder had been chosen as well as Simone Biles, Trae Young, Aaron Judge, and a bunch of other people that Dex couldn’t believe he was counted among, but he was. He was good enough. 

The driver dropped him in front of what kind of looked like an abandoned warehouse and if it hadn’t been for Nurse walking toward him, he might have thought it was all a big joke. Honestly, after seeing Nurse he wasn't any less worried that it was a joke; he was wearing the most excessively floral shirt Dex had ever seen. It looked good on him, but  _ still, _ Nurse could make a trash bag look good. 

“Hey you,” Derek’s smile was everything, “Long time no see.”

“Nice shirt,” Dex hugged him, quick and bro-y because there were people around. If they’d been alone he would have probably pinned Derek against the wall and grinded on him until they were both completely fucked. 

“Nice haircut.”

“Nice face.”

“Yeah, I know,” Nurse winked. Fuck, Dex had missed him. 

Five hours and who knows how many pictures later, Dex was finally alone with Derek. His hair was stiff and perfectly styled in a way he’d never be able to recreate, Derek looked, well Derek looked exactly the same. 

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?”

“You saw how much I ate at the shoot,” Dex could practically feel the tension radiating off of Derek, “Coffee is fine.”

“Yeah, okay,” Derek sighed, “I just, my mom’s would kill me if I didn’t like play host or whatever.”

“I mean, that’s what you get for still living at home,” Dex nudged his ankle under the table. 

“Shut up,” Nurse laughed though and the tension in his shoulders bled out, “ _ You _ still live at home too.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to live in Buffalo full time,” Dex hadn’t said it out loud yet. He had dropped hints to his mother, avoided telling his siblings when he’d be back in his shared childhood bedroom, but this was the first time he’d actually uttered the words, “It feels like home there. More than my bunk bed in Bar Harbor.”

“Is that your big plans for the off season?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, would you maybe want to hang out here for a while?” Derek sounded nervous, like he had been building courage to ask. 

“As in your moms’ house?” Dex  _ knows _ he’s got a dumbass smile on his face, he knows that he’s grinning like a fool and that Derek can see it. 

“It’s my house too,” Derek kicked him gently under the table, “And I’ve got a fucking awesome gym here, way better than Maine and probably just as good as Buffalo.”

“Did you build your whole argument for me staying around how boring Maine is?”

“Maybe,” Derek’s smile was less shy now. 

“Well I won’t stop you from making a good argument. Go ahead and tell me why I should hang out with you in L.A. instead of spending time in Maine,” Dex leaned forward, elbows on the table and his chin in his hands. 

“Well first of all, the weather here is awesome,” Derek waved a hand around like it was obvious and Dex nodded, the weather was nice. The weather in Maine in the summer was nice too, but he could tell Derek that later, maybe next year, “And I mean,  _ you’re _ the one who mentioned bunk beds. Here you could sleep in the queen sized guest bed.”

“What if I didn’t want to sleep in the guest bed?”

“Well my bed’s a king,” Derek powered on, “And like I said, my gym is fucking awesome and I know that you don’t want to take too much time off, not with how your season ended. And I bet you’re already thinking about beating me next year because I know I’m thinking about beating you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay you’re thinking about beating me?” 

“Okay, I’ll stick around,” Dex grinned, “But I might need to go buy some more underwear.”

“What is it with you and never having enough underwear?” Derek laughed, leaning close enough that Dex kissed him.

“It’s an easy thing to forget,” Dex kissed him again.

“So what convinced you to stay?” Derek’s smile gave Will butterflies, “It was the gym wasn’t it.”

“Oh yeah, it was so romantic,” Dex easily avoided the strawberry that Nursey threw at him, “It had nothing to do with you being here and me missing you.”

“I figured,” Nursey’s smile told Dex that he knew Dex staying had everything to do with Derek being there. 

Maybe next offseason Nurse would come stay with him in Buffalo. Maybe they’d roadtrip to visit Dex’s family. Maybe they’d hang out at HarborCenter and Canal Side. Maybe they’d spend a few weeks in L.A. before spending a month in Toronto. 

For now, Dex was just happy to be where he was, his ankles tangled together with Nursey’s and his face a little sore from all the smiling he’d been doing. They had months before either of them had to be anywhere and Nurse’s moms’ place was as good as any as long as Derek was there. Instead of telling Nurse that, he just kissed him again. It felt like the right thing to do. 

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](exhuastedpigeon.tumblr.com)


End file.
